New parents go for star quality

They have both been gracing the big screen this year, and it seems stars Daniel Radcliffe and Isla Fisher might also have been influencing the parents of Edinburgh.

Daniel and Isla have topped the chart of most popular baby names in the Capital, after a year in which Radcliffe returned to our screens as Harry Potter and Fisher featured as Ginny in Burke and Hare.

Daniel has shot up the chart from fifth place last year, knocking Jack from the top spot, while for Isla it is the second year at the top of the chart.

Also popular for boys in Edinburgh this year were Alexander and James, with Sophie and Olivia second and third for girls.

However, Daniel didn't even appear in the charts for West Lothian or Midlothian, with Jack the favourite in both areas.

In East Lothian, Oliver was top of the list, followed by Daniel, then Lewis. Emily was the most popular girl's name, with Isla second and Ava third.

Edinburgh parents still favour an old-fashioned approach to naming their boys. Not only were the top three names Daniel, Alexander and James, the top ten also included Oliver, Adam, Samuel, Jack and Harry.

However, in the Lothians things were different, with Dylan, Ethan, Kai, Connor and Kyle all appearing in the top tens. Girls names tended to be more traditional in all areas, with strong showings for Emily, Lucy, Olivia and Lily.

Across Scotland, Jack and Sophie have remained at the top of the charts - the third year in a row for Jack and the sixth for Sophie.

Unusual choices across the country included boys called Diesel, Heaven, Jaxxon and Knowledge, and girls called Aniston, Mazey-Crew and Willow-Coco.

Duncan Macniven, registrar general for Scotland, said of the national trends: "As always, the list of Scotland's favourite baby names is very interesting. Around 27,800 boys' and 27,000 girls' names have been registered in 2010.

"More than 7000 different names were chosen this year and around 1900 boys and 2700 girls were given unique (for 2010] names.

"Jack remains the most popular name for boys for the third year in a row. Oliver and Jamie are new entrants to the top ten and Ethan and Harry join the top 20. Noah, Riley, Cole, Jacob and Fraser are new entrants in the top 50 this year.

"Some boys' names have become less popular, with Kenzie, Gregor and Hamish among those to have dropped down the list.

"For girls, Sophie is top for a sixth year and Olivia climbs one place to second place. Isla, Lily and Ellie join the top ten and Mia and Freya are new entrants in the top 20. Maisie, Sophia, Poppy and Layla are new entrants in the top 50."

However, it seems that Miley could be the new Kylie when it comes to short-lived, celebrity-inspired baby names. Although a popular choice across Scotland last year, possibly inspired by Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus, Mr Macniven said: "Morgan, Madison, Kirsty and Miley were among those less popular than last year."